Find Me (Truthful Lies Trilogy - Book Two) (15 page)

“
I hear you, Mr. De Luca. But I think I
mighta caused some of this guy’s anger. And Clarissa might be able
to help me figure out how.”

He thinks about it. “OK,
ten
minutes, Deck! Because she
gotta work!” He holds up two fanned hands, demonstrating ten
minutes.

“
No problem, sir.”

“
YO, CLARISSA! DECK HERE WANNA TALK TO YA!
YOU GOT TEN MINUTES!”

Clarissa makes a most unimpressed face,
then bounces her voluptuous self over to a booth. She looks at her
watch and says, “Time’s running, Deck.”

I tell her the deal.

“
Mother
fucker
!” she says. “You sure it was him?”

I shrug.
“Who else would it be?”

“You get a look at his car?”

“No.”

“So, how do you know?”

DECLAN, I’M GONNA GET YOU, YOU
MOTHERFUCKER!

“
Something about the v
oice, and the way he called me, sounded
really familiar. You said Gina wasn’t doing well? You been up to
see her recently?”

Clarissa sighs deeply. “Yeah.”

“And?”

“
You should go see her, Deck. The Docs
think you might be the only thing that could bring her
back.”

“
That’s
the craziest shit I ever heard of in my life. What is this,
Sleeping Fucking Beauty or something?”

“
You ain’t no Prince Charming, asshole. So
don’t get a big damned head or something. Docs have tried
everything, and she’s not coming back, Deck. You were with her the
night she...lost it...and they think that it might work as some
sort of stimulus to link her back to reality. She’s been living in
another world since that night. She left our world, and entered her
own.
The
L
has closed down,
buildings look different. But you...well...there’s that human
factor as well, you know. You guys were close. They think that it
might jog something in her mind—”

“
Her folks were adamant about her never
seeing me again. They damn near got me arrested for giving her the
A that night—which I didn’t even do!”

“
I know you didn’t, so chill the fuck out.”
She looks over at Mr. De Luca who’s wiping a glass behind the
counter. “Well, they wanna get their daughter back, Deck. And,
well, to put it in their words: ‘If it takes that devil to bring
her back, then so be it. We want our baby back.’”

“You really know how to make a dude feel
better.”

“
This ain’t about you
—”

I put my hands up. “I know, I know. That came
out wrong. I know my responsibility on this.”

She
lays a hand on mine, which damn near jolts me out of my
seat, because Clarissa is about as caring and friendly around me as
an agitated iguana. “Deck, look, I know I gave you a hard time
about Gina. And, just so you know, I know it wasn’t your fault. I
just...needed someone to blame. She was
my
friend. And I know she kept on goin’ on and on and
on about freaking A. I mean, I coulda put a stop to that shit. I
coulda said, ‘NO! GINA, IT’S A DUMB FUCKING IDEA!’ But I never did.
I was all chilled and complacent and...whatever.” She looks behind
her, outside at Skate and Trev. “How’s Skate doin’?”

“He’s good.”

“
Still using?” she asks.

“A little.”

“And you?”

“I’ve decided not to anymore.”

Her eyes go wide with incredulity. “Since
when?”

“A week?”

Disappointment hits her eyes.

“
No, I mean, I hadn’t dropped for a few
months before that either. You know, I always been a casual user.
But I never considered stopping it for good. Then, well, something
changed.”

“The girl?”

“Hmm?”

“
Don’t act all fucking ‘Hmm?’ innocent with
me!” At this point, Clarissa actually smiles, and her cheeks go
rosy. “I saw how you were looking at her pink and green hair last
weekend here. She looks like a wild one.”

She’s a delicately beautiful
one, FYI
.

“Deck?”

“Yeah?”

She laughs. “Hell, this is the one, huh?”

“Clariss, what you talkin about?”

She points at me. “I see it, dude. You’re
knocked head over heels here.”

I feel my cheeks blush. “Fine, yeah, I like
her. A lot.”

“
Well, maybe it’s a good
i
dea to clean up the
past, then—if you really like her. You know that shit’s got a habit
of biting you in the ass if you don’t deal with it.”

“So I’m learning.”

“
Deck.” She squeezes my hand tightly. “I
heard about your pops. I’m real sorry. How you holding
up?”

I’d almost forgotten about that—too many
other things going on in my mind. And wasn’t pops already dead to
me before that? My finger goes to my eye instantly. “Thanks. The
past just caught up with him, that’s all.”

“Look, if you ever need to talk or whatever,
I’m here.”

“
I know you are. Like the good ol’ days.” I
look outside and see Skate, warming up his hands and talking shit
with Trev. I face Clarissa again. “Look, Clariss, about Skate.” The
best is to give it to her straight. “Look, you’re a good lookin
babe, OK?” She looks down. “I’m not kidding. Look, I just— I’m just
gonna give it to you straight. He doesn’t talk about you. So don’t
get hung up on him.” Now she’s the one who wipes her
eye.

“I’m overweight.”

Clarissa is sexy
.
Sure, she’s got some curves. And? Like Blaze said:
Kat Dennings
Lookalike
. And you show
me one hetero dude who doesn’t wanna do Kat Dennings. Right, I
didn’t think so.

“You think that’s why Skate’s not with
you?”

She shrugs.

“
Bullshit. He’s not with you because he’s a
fuckin idiot, OK? He thinks about football and drugs and sex.” I
make sure to say drugs really softly. “It’s who he is. Hell, it’s
who I am. All I’m sayin is, from a dude to a chick—you’re
hot
. OK?” I
would’ve never told Clarissa she’s ‘hot’ in any other situation.
Not because she isn’t. Because she is. She’s not my type, but she’s
definitely a good looking babe. I just figured I’d use the word
“hot” so she really gets it. “How long has it been now—two
years?”

“And three months, twenty seven days. But
who’s counting?”

At this point I get a little fucking pissed
at Skate, because he shoulda ended things better with her.
Anyway...

“
Damn, Clariss. Look, you gotta let go.
Either that or...hell...maybe you gotta just tell him how you feel
about him one last time and see what happens.”

“Deck, it’s been fifteen minutes, son.”

“
Sure thing, Mr. De Luca.
” Then, to Clarissa: “We should all hang
out again someday.”

“
Only if I get a boyfriend. Or if Skate
isn’t there. And you guys are always together.”

“Well, then get a boyfriend fast!”

We stand. “Deck, thank you.
And you’re right: You and
me
should
hang out
some time. Go for coffee. Bring your girlfriend along. So much has
changed since we left high school. But you and I were good friends
at one stage, weren’t we?”

“
Great friends.”

“Hell, if Gina hadn’t gotten in your pants,
you know I woulda been there fast myself!”

“And I would’ve taken you.” I mean it.

A glint flashes across her eyes.

“I’ll tell Blaze you wanna hang out with us
sometime. Maybe when Skate’s out defacing some public
property.”

“Deal.” She hugs me, and it’s the tightest
hug I’ve gotten from Gina since High School.

Wait. Did I
just say Gina? I meant Clarissa.
Gina’s best
friend.
But it sure
feels like being hugged by Gina suddenly.

Just before I make it outside, Clarissa
calls out, “Deck,
Dino
was always an asshole.
Always
.
And he’s also an older brother. And older brothers hate
boyfriends—even if they’re saints.” She moves closer so she can
whisper. “If it hadn’t been the A, it woulda been some other excuse
for him to come after you. You did nothing wrong, Deck. You gotta
know that.”

“
I kinda do. But, at the same time, I’ve
also never made an effort to go see her.
Despite
her parents. You’re right. Maybe I
am
the final link she has back to
reality. And maybe the last four years coulda been better for her
if I’d been there a bit. Anyway, I’m gonna change this
now.”

“This new girl’s really changed you, hasn’t
she?”

“Yeah, well, and I promised her I wouldn’t
drop or nuthin. Not even weed.”

She smiles. And then she hugs me again.
This time
real
tight. With
a tremendous relief, she says, “Thank
god
. You dumbass boys have no fucking idea how us girls worry
about you when you do that shit.”

I’m a little stunned at her comment. Which
only proves that she’s right. Because I really had no
clue.

Outside, it feels like I’ve just stepped out
of a time-space warp. The talk with Clarissa was deeply
enlightening. And moving.

I slap Skate on his bald head.
Hard!

“
Jee
zus
!
What the fuck, Deck!”

“You’re an asshole, you know that?”

He shoves me. Also hard! “Fuck you, you
punk! Ten minutes with Clarissa and now you think I’m the scum of
the earth?”

I push him back. So hard that there’s a
loud thump on his chest. Trev gets in the way “Hey hey hey!”
He inserts himself between us.
“Not here! Not in front of Mr. De Luca’s place. You punks wanna
fight, we go to the park. OK?”

“
I’m not gonna fight this fucking punk,”
says Skate. “What, now that you have a girl you wanna get all
fuckin moralistic about the rest of us?”

“What?” I’m acting all macho now, blood at a
high boil and not listening straight. “You wanna bring Blaze into
this?”

“
CHRIST! Would you fucking idiots knock it
off!” Trev’s eyes glow in the direction of the restaurant. Mr. De
Luca’s staring at us.

I raise my arms in apology. We walk away
from
Tom’s
. As my
foot moves off the curb, a thumping hand whacks the back of my
shoulder, and I almost lose my step.

I turn to swing, with all the power I can
muster.

But Trevor—monster that he is—propels his
shoulder into my stomach so fast that I only hit thin air. He holds
me back and says, “That’s it, you fucking girls. The park.
Now!”

It’s a three minute walk from
Tom’s
to Prospect Park. One minute
when the adrenaline is pumping. We go past
Gino’s Pizza, Mayday
Hardware
, and endless
black trash bags. My fists are clenching. I’m angry, so
angry.

Skate, he’s the
one
, I think.
Not Xavier or Dino
Moretti or any of these other crazy fucks of this last
week
. Skate’s the one on
my radar, like a bull seeing red. And I don’t know why. It was that
comment about Blaze, yeah, yeah, that’s what it was!

Now that you have a
girl
... What the fuck
did he mean with that shit?
Now that you have a girl...
I know what he meant. He meant:
Your girl’s fucking
hot, bro. And I’m jealous!
Of course that’s what he meant. Because that’s always what
guys mean when they talk shit about your girl. And no one’s gonna
talk shit about Blaze. No one! Not that fucking punk Xavier or that
DJ whose name sounds like it comes out of
Alice in Wonderland
.

None of them!

At this stage, it starts dawning on me
that maybe, just
maybe
, my anger
is misdirected. That
maybe
Skate had
just been in the wrong place at the wrong time. That Clarissa’s
statement about him made me pinpoint him for no reason. That he’s
an easier target to hit than all these other dudes.

Because he’s a friend. And friends always
take all manner of shit. That’s what makes them friends.

Maybe.

No, it’s not. Skate’s a punk! Who the fuck
was he to let Clarissa down like that! Wasn’t that it?
Wait, why am I
suddenly all chummy-friendly with Clarissa? A good babe, yes, but
all we’ve ever been has been acquaintances...

I don’t get a chance to consider the logic
of it. Because now we’re at the park.

And Skate’s fist connects with my jaw
before I can rationalize why it is exactly that I’m wanting to
fight one of my two closest friends in the world.

Oh, wait, I know why, because
it
’s one hell of a
stress reliever!

Skate packs a mean punch. Not as strong as
Trev’s (I think Evander Holyfield’s punch is weaker than Trev’s),
but a good one. The punch he just gave me was not his strongest. It
was a “You wanna fight? Fine, here’s a little something to make it
look like a fight” punch.